Chloe's Baptism 8/30/09 @ First Lutheran Church

We had a good time in Makoqueta on Saturday. The baptism went very smoothly, and Chloe was being an angel, as usual. No one burst into flames. Everyone looked great all dressed up. It was a beautiful day! Maybe I'm old fashioned, but nothing ever compares to hanging out with my family. :) We got to meet a lot of Danielle's family as well, and they were all very nice. PLUS...Brian and I now have a goddaughter, which is just one more reason to add to the long list of reasons we already have to spoil her!

The bad with the good

Every time something amazing happens in my life, or my brothers life, the joy sometimes becomes a little shadowed by the hurt that I feel because of the distance in our family. And I'm not talking about miles. And I hate that it's like that! I know that I will always be there for David, and no matter what we'll always be close. It makes me wish it could be that way with my other siblings. I've sacrificed, I've travelled, I've met people half way. I've even gone so far as to write letters when all other avenues of communication have failed.
With Chloe's baptism approaching, I can't help but be a little sad at the thought of the many special moments that I have missed with my other nieces and nephews.
This is why I constantly remind Brian to be thankful that his family is so close, that Milwaukee isn't that far away, and if he can help it, not to miss any birthday parties. You just don't get those things back, and they really are so precious.

Now, on a more upbeat note.....I'm so freakin excited to see my lil Chloe!!!!!! Not excited to be getting up at 5:30am, but whatever! My dad is riding along with us, so I'm sure the drive will be interesting. :)
If I could just get the weather to cooperate so that I don't freeze in my dress, that would be awesome. 60 degrees in August just isn't right!

Marriage Aversion

Aversion: a tendency to extinguish a behavior or to avoid a thing or situation and especially a usually pleasurable one because it is or has been associated with a noxious stimulus.

I had a dream about getting married last night, and when I woke up I felt like I was being strangled. Not good.

Stop, Drop & Roll

I love Fridays! And this weekend is going to be excellent, because there is nothing I HAVE to do! Brian started class Wednesday, so he'll probably have homework (this is his last year...woohoo!). He has a pretty full workload this semester, but he can handle it. It's getting down to crunch time as far as what he is going to do when he finishes up at Rockford College. I'm already having a little anxiety about moving to some random place. Just yesterday he was talking about Alabama. Umm....Alabama? Ok, so there's a great school there, and I'd never ever discourage him trying to get into the best school possible for what he wants to do, but......Alabama? I don't know if I'd survive in Alabama!! haha, ok, enough about that. It's over a year away, so no need to worry about it now. :)

The weather stinks today..all grey and no sun. Weekend's supposed to be nice though. Oh! And next weekend is Chloe's Baptism in Maquoketa. I'm so excited to see her! Kind of nervous about the actual baptism though. Obviously I would do anything for her, but in addition to that I have to stand there in front of a bunch of people and promise to raise her Lutheran? I'm honored to be a godmother, but I'd be lying if I said the whole ceremony thing isn't going to be a little awkward. I'm not lutheran, don't go to a lutheran church, and although I haven't quite sorted out what I believe in terms of religion I'm still thoroughly weirded out by the idea of lying in church. I mean, we'll have to bring a fire extinguisher so Brian can be on stand-by in case I burst into flames up there!
I know people do it all the time, and the only thing that really matters is how very much I do love that little girl. :) I'm sure it'll be fine.
Still bringing the fire extinguisher though. Just in case.

Chloe Ellen

vroom vroom!

First time in the pool. :)

2, 4, 6, 8...I'm tired of talking about my weight!

I remember being in Punta Cana on the beach, being lazy and just people watching. There were very few Americans there, and a lot of Europeans. A couple of days in we started talking about the overall difference in the demeanor and appearance of all of the people around us. Big men in little Speedos happily playing with their children, and every so often stopping to give their wives a kiss. Women sunbathing topless...NORMAL women...not your american average size 4. And not one time did we ever see someone looking self conscious, covering up, or being ashamed. That beach was a happy place full of carefree people enjoying their vacation, enjoying each other, and living in the moment without stopping to be worried about what some other person might be thinking. It seemed to us that Europeans, and perhaps all people not born and raised in the US, had a leg up on us about simply being happy, and maybe a little less inhibited. They were comfortable with their bodies. Brian and I talked about the beaches in Florida and California, how different it is, and how we have developed this really scary preoccupation with our weight in the United States. Isn't it sad that although a day at the beach may sound like a heavenly retreat, many people won't go because they are afraid or uncomfortable? I've been one of those people so many times. How much have I held back in life because of this? How much fun am I missing out on being worried that I'll LOOK silly? Is it worth it? Aren't we all just human? Why do we choose so many times to try to conform and live by someone ELSE'S standards for OUR lives? Isn't that the most ridiculous thing ever?
I think so! Sure, be healthy, eat your vegetables, get some exercise, and do the best you can to take care of your body, but do it for the right reasons. Why should we ever feel ashamed, embarrassed, or shy about our weight...it is who we are and does not make us any less beautiful!!! And you know what is the most beautiful thing ever??? A smile...to see a person enjoying the short time that we have here...carving their own path, and creating their own happiness.
Of course the only reason I'm writing about this (and the only reason I write about anything) is that I struggle with it. I feel like I have to fit into a mold in order to be beautiful, and by doing that I am leaving it up to someone else to decide that I am good enough. It's such horse shit! And I know this, so by blogging it have officially added it to the list of things to remember when I'm having a "fat" (again..horse shit!) day.

Love to all.... :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYhCn0jf46U

Abracadabra

When is it that people started thinking that they would be able to acquire anything of value without a little bit of hard work? It's exhausting constantly watching people be disappointed when they don't get exactly what they want exactly when they want it ...without doing ANYTHING. Where did this sense of entitlement come from? I wasn't born that long ago, and I was always taught that 1.) Life isn't fair, and you don't always get what you want. 2.) You work hard for what you do get. 3.) You don't ever expect people to give you things for free.
Simple, and TRUE. So how did it come to be that we are living in this distorted society of instant gratification? Lenders have long been taking advantage of this compulsion, (as is evident by the state of our economy right now) so I guess it's obviously not a new concept, but that sure doesn't make it any less aggravating. How can we expect people to work hard if they are just given things?
Ok, not meaning to whine and complain here, but I'm sick of hearing people whine and complain!!! =P

On that note, I'm thirsty......so I'm going to sit here, finish my work, and the next time I turn around I am fully expecting to see a frosty beverage sitting on my desk. Hope I'm not disappointed.